2003 Hyundai Sonata

If you wanted a Rolex, but don't have $5,000 burning a hole in your pocket, then the next best thing would be to get one of those $50 look-alike's. They look about the same, and keep reasonably good time. About the only time that you'd notice that it wasn't a real Rolex was when you tried to sell it. One look, and the jeweler or pawnbroker would only hand you a five-dollar bill.

A Hyundai Sonata is about the same as a fake Rolex. It's just a cheap knock-off of the Toyota Camry, and Honda Accord. It does everything those more expensive sedans can do, but with an appliance-like cheapness.

It's got standard side airbags, but everything else was optional. The base 4-cyl is painfully slow, but the 2.7L V6 provides reasonable acceleration. Automatic cars even get a manual shift feature. Interior materials are nice and build quality is Hyundai tight. So it's hard to argue with the quality of this car, or its value. But here's the thing, it depreciates so rapidly that you can get a nicely optioned used Sonata for fifty to seventy-five cents on the dollar. As opposed to a used Camry, which will cost you about $1.98 less than it did when it was new.

The only benefit of Hyundai's 'transportation appliance' approach is longevity. Hyundai's are known to last forever. Like an old clothes dryer. But do you really want to drive a clothes dryer? . YEAR TO YEAR CHANGES FOR THE HYUNDAI SONATA: 2003: Sonata's got lighted power-window switches and a battery-saver feature. 2004: None 2005: The new GLS Special Value edition got heated front seats and a universal garage-door opener. . COMMON PROBLEMS FOR THE HYUNDAI SONATA: Timing Belt (2.4L engine only) (2002-2003) - $250-$2,500 Crankshaft Position (CKP) Sensor (2.4L engine only) (2002-2003) - $200